Etymologically
Log in

indistinctus

History Permalink

Etymology and origin of the Latin word indistinctus

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
81–50 BC Catullus More words from the 1st century BC
Ultimate origin
Latin distinguō
Etymology tree
inherited borrowed derived
Latin distinguō
French distinguer
Spanish distinguir
Latin distīnctus
English distinct
Latin indistīnctus
English indistinct
From the same root
Latin distīnctiō ← distinguō
Latin distincte ← distīnctus
Latin distīnctīvus ← distīnctus

Pronunciation

  • Classical: [ɪn.dɪsˈtiːŋk.tʊs][1]
  • Ecclesiastical: [in.disˈtiŋk.tus][1]

Forms

indistīnctus (feminine indistīncta, neuter indistīnctum); first/second-declension adjective[1]

Etymology

It is formed from Latin in- + distīnctus (“distinguished”), the past participle of distinguō (“to distinguish”).[2][3][1]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found in Catullus (81/79–52/50 BC),[3][4] of flowers brought woven in unordered garlands: indistinctis plexos tulit ipse corollis.[2]

Semantic evolution

Later writers use it of what is not properly distinguished or arranged:[2][5] Quintilian of an orderless style, Tacitus of a defence to be granted indiscriminately to all (indistincta haec defensio et promisca), Gellius of an obscure word, and Apuleius of what is not determined.[2][5] The adverb is indistinctē, “without distinction”.[5]

In Medieval Latin it meant undifferentiated or alike, and also uncertain or undefined;[6][7] in heraldry it was used of a coat of arms without a mark of difference.[7]

Timeline

  • 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses it of flowers in unordered garlands.[2][4]
  • c. 35–95/96 AD – Quintilian uses it of a style lacking order.[5][4]
  • 98–115 AD – Tacitus uses it of a defence granted without distinction.[2][4]
  • 9th century – Gottschalk of Orbais calls chaos an undistinguished mixture of earth and water.[6][4]

Meanings

Adjective

  1. Not properly arranged, disordered, confused.[2][5]
  2. Applied without distinction, indiscriminate.[2]
  3. Indistinct, obscure.[5][1]
  4. Not specified, undetermined.[2][6]
  5. (Medieval Latin, heraldry) Undifferenced.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  3. ^ a b Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b c d e f Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b c Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  7. ^ a b c Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
Cite this entry

“Indistinctus.” Etymologically, 7 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/la/indistinctus. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

Last edited on . ·